Story perspectives

Putin and Xi Push Power of Siberia 2 Deal

8/31/2026

Center

Putin Attends SCO

President Vladimir Putin arrived in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Monday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.
Discussion between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping focused on the delayed Power of Siberia 2 natural-gas pipeline.
The summit’s theme was “25 years of the SCO: for sustainable peace, development and prosperity.”
China’s trade with the five Central Asian SCO members hit a record $106 billion last year.

Right

Putin Visits Bishkek

President Vladimir Putin arrived in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Monday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and hold bilateral talks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Putin ‘my friend’ and said India would back peace efforts to end Ukraine war, noting India’s large Russian oil purchases.
Russia’s President, China’s President and India’s Prime Minister met in Bishkek before the summit.
The SCO now counts ten permanent members and fifteen dialogue partners.

Blindspot

President Vladimir Putin met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bishkek to discuss the delayed Power of Siberia 2 natural-gas pipeline project, according to the Center-leaning sources.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Right-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

Formed from the 1996 Shanghai Five, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was officially launched in June 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, pledging a 10 percent trade boost. By 2024 it had grown to ten members—including Iran and Belarus—covering 24 percent of global land and recording $106 billion in summit trade. Putin’s Bishkek visit with Xi underscores the SCO’s shift from security forum to major Eurasian economic platform.

1 of 4

Putin Attends SCO

President Vladimir Putin arrived in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Monday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.
Discussion between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping focused on the delayed Power of Siberia 2 natural-gas pipeline.
The summit’s theme was “25 years of the SCO: for sustainable peace, development and prosperity.”
China’s trade with the five Central Asian SCO members hit a record $106 billion last year.

1 / 4